‘Scene It? Movie Night’ Review

Game Rant’s Anthony Taormina reviews Scene It? Movie Night

Any movie or trivia fan should be familiar with the popular game Scene It?. Requiring both a vast knowledge of the film world and a careful attention to detail, Scene It? has long been the movie trivia fans go to game for parties.

Since the board games’ inception, though, many different iterations of the formula have been created, from Twilight to Friends. All of them allowed for ever growing challenge but leaving the central formula untouched.

Then came the idea of bringing Scene It? to the video game world in the form of several retail releases that featured a buzzer peripheral and did away with the board game element. Scene It? spawned three different iterations, each of which slightly changed the make-up of the game, but were still sought after because of their ability to incorporate new questions through DLC. Which left fans wondering when this title would finally make the jump to the downloadable space.

And here we are now with Scene It? Movie Night a downloadable title that is nothing new for fans of the previous Scene It? games, but will be able to facilitate an ever changing database of movie trivia.

The concept and key mechanics are preserved, including support for the original game’s buzzers, with only a few variations thrown in. Some of the key elements that made each Scene It? variation different, from doling out bonus points after every round or allowing for a short or long game, have been done away with, but the nuts and bolts are extremely recognizable.

Part of Scene It?’s overall appeal rests in the game’s ability to keep the trivia feeling fresh and new, and to keep players engaged. Movie Night does a passable job of incorporating contemporary films like 2012, but like previous versions and the board game, it tends to rely on old standards rather than fork over the rights to more recent releases.

Every now and again a new film will make an appearance, and have those veterans of the Scene It? trade really testing their wits, but Movie Night isn’t going to prevent movie trivia domination from taking place. All the classic mini-games have returned, from quotables to movie clips, so any seasoned Scene It? veteran will feel right at home.

The biggest flaws to be found in Movie Night are its inability to deliver retail worthy content at a downloadable price. The lack of online play and different game modes is pretty disappointing, and the presentation, while fairly similar to previous incarnations, is the most bare bones of the series yet.

It’s really going to be in the downloadable content support that Movie Night will be able to differentiate itself. If enough new trivia packs can be rolled out with some regularity, then fans will have a reason to dust off the Scene It? buzzers at parties or when they’re feeling like playing a casual game with friends.

Scene It? might not be the most enterprising of properties, but it certainly can bring enough competition to a room that keeps conflict low and entertainment high. The game won’t be for everyone — if you’ve made up your mind on Scene It? as a board/video game you’ll know where you stand — but its first ‘Mega Movies’ pack does provide a solid five hours worth of original content to test any hardcore movie fan’s knowledge.

Are you interested in yet another Scene It? Game? Do you think that, if supported strong enough, that this could be a great version of the popular board game?

Scene It? Movie Night is available now for XBLA and the PSN.